Though this area and this town are not new to Me, this is the
first time that most of you are seeing Me. When a few more dishes
are prepared, it becomes a festival day. So, when the district
athletic competitions are held here, it is a festival for the boys
and students as well as for parents and others interested in the
welfare of the country. You have all put on a glad face forgetting
the daily drudgery. You have witnessed the competitions and the
games and enjoyed the keenness and enthusiasm of the participants.
The students sitting before us are the instruments with which the
India of tomorrow is to be shaped. Their teachers, who are also
here, are indeed lucky; for destiny has allotted them the noble
task, the golden chance, to serve the interests of the people in
the pleasant manner, spending their time in the company of
innocent fresh children.
The father, the mother and teacher are the three primarily
responsible for moulding the future of the country. Of these, the
teacher plays the most important role for he is specially trained
and selected for the job; he voluntarily takes it up and therefore
must carry it out to the best of his ability without demur; he is
implicitly trusted by the child, the parents and the public alike
and the trust must be repaid by honest service. He is honoured and
respected by the children and the public as the Guru, with all the
hallowed associations of that word. He may be poor, uncared for by
the men at the top, but the satisfaction he gets by his quiet
creative work is enough compensation.
The Teacher should himself follow the Advice he gives
The teacher should never curse his pupils whatever the
provocation; he must always bless them. If he swears like a boor,
he reduces himself to the level of a boor. He should watch his
behaviour rigorously and find out whether there is some habit or
trait which if imitated y the pupil will be harmful. He should
himself follow the advice that he gives. Otherwise, he will be
teaching hypocrisy to the little children and encouraging them to
acquire the cleverness not to be found out. It sheer mental
weakness and cowardice that allows hypocrisy to develop. If you
have the courage to face the consequences, you will never utter
falsehood. The teacher should not try to rule through the easier
means of fear, for that is full of dangerous consequences to the
pupils. Try rather the path of love.
Teachers should themselves take to the discipline of Japam and
Dhyaanam (repetition of the Lord's name and mediation); this will
give them the inner quiet they sorely need. They should create an
atmosphere of plain living and high thinking, for pupils
unconsciously accept them as heroes and begin imitating them. They
should hand over to the rising generation the riches that past
generations have amassed, viz., the spiritual disciplines and the
discoveries. Learn them yourselves and teach them to the pupils
under your care. This will enable you to discharge the debt due
from you to the Rishis (sages) of old. I know that when you sow
bitter seeds you cannot grow sweet grain. Yet, there are certain
thing a possible even under the limitations of the present
curricula and course of study.
Be grateful to the Village where you were born
The unmistakable sign of rain is the wetness of the ground; so
too, the sign of a person who has had some years of schooling is
good manners; he must have humility and know that the field of
knowledge is so vast that the has been unable even to touch its
fringe; he must be aware if his kinship with all mankind and he
must show a keenness to do service to others, at all times,
gladly, and without desire for publicity. The educated boy must
move with others in a free and friendly way. God is the moving
force in every one. He is behind all good impulses and useful
attitudes. You are all separate beads strung together on that one
thread, God. So hatred is ugly, unnatural and inhuman; it is
against the very core of love that is in every one.
Always respect another's opinion and another's point of view.
Do not start a quarrel at the slightest difference of opinion. He
may be right and you may be wrong. Ponder over his argument; he
might have had the advantage of knowing more about the subject or
you may be prejudiced either for or against; or he may not know as
much as you. All differences of opinion are not due to personal
hatred, remember.
Above all, I must tell you one thing. Honour your parents and
the villagers among whom you grow up. Be grateful to the parents
for all the care and sacrifice they undergo for you sake. Be
grateful also to the village where you first saw the light. What
good is it if after being born in one place and bred in the cradle
of its love, you run away somewhere and make that new place
better? Always turn your attention to your village and think of
ways and means of bettering its lot. That is the gratitude you
must show.
Start the spiritual Pilgrimage early in Life
By all means, master the subjects prescribed in you curriculum
of studies; but along with them, study also the principles of
Sanaathana Dharma (eternal universal religion). Do not give it up
as Sanaathana (old), coming down from very ancient times. It has
stood the test of centuries and is capable of giving you joy and
peace even today. It is like a very loving grandmother, anxious
and capable of feeding you with nice good dishes. You will not
allow such a grandmother to die of neglect, will you?
There was once a miser who lived in a leaky house; the
rainwater poured into the house through the roof but he sat
through it all. Neighbours laughed at him and warned him to get
the roof repaired. But in the rainy season he replied, "Let the
rains subside, how can I repair it now?" And when the rains
stopped, he replied, "Why should I worry about leaks now the rains
have stopped?" Do not suffer the leaks when the rains come, as
they are sure to do; repair the roof now itself. That is to say,
acquaint yourselves with the spiritual primers and textbooks now
itself; begin the first lessons of silence, prayer and chanting
the name of the Lord. It is never too soon in the spiritual
pilgrimage.
Now when you wear bush-coats and strut about in pants, causing
envy among the little children who cannot afford these, you feel
elated. But you can be legitimately proud only when you are able
to control the vagaries of the mind and direct your emotions and
desires along honourable healthy channels, braving even the
ridicule of your so-called friends. That is real freedom, real
success. If you reach that stage, then you become a seasoned
driver and can be trusted with the wheel on any road and with any
cargo, however precious. Then you will not cause harm either to
yourself or to others. Then you deserve to become a leader.
Only men with Ideals are remembered by Posterity
Be eager and earnest to know more and more about the art of
joyful living, happy unperturbed living. One can advance only step
by step and there is the danger of slipping down two steps when
you climb one. What matters is the determination to climb, the
resistance with which the sliding tendency is met, the yearning to
rise to progress, to conquer the lower impulses and instincts. If
you have that , the hidden spring of power will surge up within
you; the grace of the Lord will smooth your path. Keep the ideal
before you; march on. The student of today becomes the teacher of
tomorrow and headmaster later. How? By study, by the development
of a reliable character. Only those with ideals are respected and
remembered in gratitude by posterity. Raama is honoured and
worshipped while Raavana is execrated. Why? Because of the
character they evinced.
Have the progress of your country, your Sanaathana Dharma and
your own self always before your mind's eye. Let the hunger for
serving these three grow more and more. Then your studies will
serve a purpose and give you a sense of mission. Then you will
acquire fear of sin, fear of the God within, fear of the mean,
respect for elders and faith in your own self.
One thing more: Do not do anything which brings tears into the
eyes of your parents. Honour them and obey them. Do not condemn
them as old-fashioned. "Old is gold." They speak out of a longer
experience of the world and its tricks.
Winners must be thankful to the Losers
Well, I am asked to distribute Bahumathis (prizes) to you by
Anjanappa and others. They meant that I should distribute the
prizes, but "Bahumathi" means "multi-mindedness". Now, I never
give that type of mind! I always insist on Ekaagratha
(single-mindedness). Anjanappa wished that I give you Prasaadham
(propitiatory offering); My Prasaadham is always Aanandha
prasaadham (gift of bliss)! It can be got through Ekamathi
(single-mindedness) only. I do not like this competition and
strife, this cultivation of egoism through prizes and ranking. I
am sure none of you here will be spoilt either by pride or by
dejection.
Take failure coolly and take victory also coolly. The second is
a very difficult mental exercise. The winners must be thankful to
the losers for their victory, for if only the losers had put in a
little more effort, they would have carried away the prizes
instead. The losers by running neck to neck with you also prompted
you to run faster and thus encouraged you to win. They gave you
the grit to put in that extra pace, which brought the prize into
your hands.
And the losers! I ask you not to lose self-confidence. Do not
attach too much value to victory or too much importance to defeat.
Even in examinations, when you fail, do not be overcome by despair
and do silly things like attempting to take your own life. Life is
much more precious than that. You are born for much greater things
than the passing of examinations. Be brave and patient. All is not
lost if you do not pass an examination which tests just one aspect
of your intelligence! Your destiny does not depend upon
examination marks; it depends more on character, willpower and the
grace of God.
The headmaster hoped that this school would become a higher
secondary school. I bless that it may be raised to that status
soon and become a source of light and culture for this part of the
country.